text:
LARGO, Md., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama says Republicans need to stop playing partisan politics trying to fight the Affordable Care Act and accept that the law is here to stay.
He said Tea Party Republicans have taken the political rhetoric "to a whole new level."
"They're threatening either to shut down the government or shut down the entire economy by refusing to let America pay its bills for the first time in history, unless I agree to gut a law that will help millions of people," Obama said Thursday in a speech in Maryland.
"That's not going to happen as long as I'm president. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay," he said.
The president said whatever effect the healthcare law might have on the economy, "it won't hurt the economy as bad as a government shutdown."
And as far as raising the debt ceiling, Obama said he will not negotiate on the issue. "We don't run out on our tab."
"This is not about the fortunes of any one party. This is not about politics. This is about the future of our country," he said. "If Republicans do not like the law, they can go through the regular channels and processes to try to change it. That's why we have elections."
"You do not threaten the full faith and credit of the United States of America."
Obama spoke Thursday morning before a crowd of about 1,800 at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md.. The audience of young people is a key demographic the Obama administration is trying to reach in promoting the health insurance marketplace that will launch Tuesday at healthcare.gov.
Obama says young people in Maryland will find new options for insurance for as low as $100 a month when the program begins next week.
"In the United States of America, healthcare is not a privilege for the fortunate few. It is a right," Obama said. "Now, five days from now, five days from now, on October 1st, millions of Americans who don't have health insurance because they've been priced out of the market or because they've denied access because of a preexisting condition, they will finally be able to buy quality, affordable health insurance, in five days."
Obama highlighted the ease of the new program, which requires that insurers offer instant price quotes. "It's like booking a hotel or a plane ticket," he said
Obama said it appears the GOP's "biggest fear at this point is not that Affordable Care Act will fail. What they're worried about is it's going to succeed."
"You know, they have made such a big political issue out of this, trying to scare everybody with lies about death panels and killing Granny. So if it actually works, they'll look pretty bad. If it actually works, that will mean that everything they were saying really wasn't true and they were just playing politics."
He urged the crowd to spread the word that sign-up for the new program starts next week. "Tell your friends, tell your classmates, tell your family members," he said. "We need you to spread the word" about the law to counter the roadblocks set by "so many people out there working to make it fail."
Obama took an apparent swipe at billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who have bankrolled prominent ads against the healthcare law. "These are billionaires several times over. You know they've got good health care. But they are actually spending money on television trying to convince young people" not to sign up.
He said it appears House Republicans are thinking they need "to shut this thing down before people find out that they like it."
"Reforming health care's going to help the economy over the long term. Not only will it help lower costs for businesses, not only will it help families, it will free up entrepreneurship in this country, because if you've got a great idea for your own business, but you've never tried it because your spouse had a preexisting condition and you didn't want to lose your employer-based coverage, you've got the ability now to get your own coverage. That's security. That's freedom," he said.
Obama predicted Republicans will eventually come around, saying Medicare and Social Security faced the same kind of criticism.
"Before Medicare came into law, one Republican warned that one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America when men were free. That was Ronald Reagan. And eventually Ronald Reagan came around to Medicare and thought it was pretty good and actually helped make it better."
"So that's what's going to happen with the Affordable Care Act. And once it's working really well, I guarantee you, they will not call it 'Obamacare,'" he said.


text:
The NID with some changes could be good
November 22, 2011
I have been keeping up on the possible formation of a NID in the South Side by reading all of the articles and recently the letters to the editor.
I live on Brownsville road in Carrick and thought maybe someone from one of the surrounding neighborhoods should tell you what we think about your efforts. It is about time.
I ask other surrounding neighborhoods to please do the same so those involved in the NID can get a feel for how the surrounding neighborhoods feel and are affected by South Side's booming business district.
Because of the amount of nonprofit owned land in the city it has always had limited tax resources. However, because of recent cuts to the federal, state and county allocations to the city, which helped the city maintain everything from the number of cops on the streets to the streets themselves, the city has had to tighten its belt even further.
During the spring and summer months, Brownsville road used to see a street sweeper once or twice a month but not this past spring and summer. However, when I took my wife to work at 5:30 in the morning and if it was not raining, I did see either a street sweeper or a water spray truck on Carson Street every weekday morning. The city had to make cuts somewhere.
Do not get me wrong I feel your pain. The South Side sees a lot more foot traffic than Carrick, which in turn means South Side has more trash. However, there were some weekday mornings the trashcans were half full but Carson Street, the side streets and sidewalks where all full of trash.
My personal opinion is all single-family homes under the NID's jurisdiction should only be charged $1 a month. The rest of the NID's budget should come from the business owners, the building owners, and the rental property owners.
I do not think a commercial property owner should pay and a business owner not pay or vice versa. They both will benefit from the NID's improvements by increased profits and higher property values.
However, if the business owner is also the building owner and he or she is the only tenant in that building, he or she should only pay once. In addition, I think rental property owners should be charged by the rental unit's square footage because the more people the more wear and tear and litter.
In closing, I look forward to the day when the NID is a done deal and the South Side hums along with security, better looking energy efficient old time street lighting, automated street tree watering, better sidewalks (maybe even heated sidewalks to keep the snow off) and no cars parked closer than 15 feet from the corner.
I must be dreaming.
Mike Sheehan

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Thai Tofu Lettuce Wraps
Total TimePrep/Total Time: 25 min.
Makes4 servings
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
- 1 package (14 ounces) firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 small sweet red pepper, diced
- 3/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped, divided
- 8 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
- For dressing, in a blender, combine the first 11 ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup cilantro.
- In a large bowl, combine the tofu, onions, carrots, red pepper, 1/2 cup peanuts and remaining cilantro. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide among lettuce leaves; sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Fold lettuce over filling.
Nutrition Facts2 each: 507 calories, 43g fat (6g saturated fat), 3mg cholesterol, 558mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 4g fiber), 18g protein.
Recommended Video
Jul 12, 2020
I love this recipe and come back to it over and over again. I like to take it to work as a packed lunch, so instead of doing the lettuce wraps, I do it as a salad with a bed of lettuce with the tofu and sauce over the top. Great flavours and textures!
Jul 12, 2012
I'm sorry but this recipe just didn't make it for me. I think the problem was that the diced tofu didn't have any flavor. The dressing was very tasy, but the tofu didn't absorb enough of it. If you make this, try making the dressing a little ahead of time and marinating the tofu in it. The wraps were also runny and difficult to eat. After tasting the first wrap I decided they needed some kind of dipping sauce so I pulled some a bottle of Thai sweet chili sauce from the fridge. (If you can get it at an Asian market it's terrific with egg rolls, spring rolls, or batter fried shrimp.) I also tried to concoct a dipping sauce with two tablespoons of peanut butter, and a tablespoon each of low sodium soy and Vietnamese fish sauce. I thinned it down with some water and I thought it was alright. My son thought it was too salty and added some honey which improved it. The sauces helped a lot. If I ever make these again I might try using stir-fried chicken.
May 1, 2011
Excellent! I will definitely make these again! The whole family enjoyed them!
Sep 4, 2008
Delicious! Tastes like something from a good bistro.


text:
Hospitals happy with UB trained medical doctors
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Botswana (UB), Prof. David Norris says Hospital Managers across the country are very happy with the quality of the university's trained medical doctors.
The Vice Chancellor was addressing councillors on Wednesday at Selebi Phikwe Town Council. The relatively new School of Medicine at the University has already produced doctors, both general practitioners and specialists now plying their trade in various hospitals across the country, Prof Norris has said.
He pointed out that the UB's medical programme is an excellent one and was designed in partnership with the top two universities in the world, being Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania which is commonly known as UPenn. He revealed that another top institution of higher learning, the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom has recently expressed interest in partnering with the UB School of Medicine which bears testimony to the desirable quality that the university produces.
Prof. Norris conceded that while UB has played a very big role in the development of human capital needed to drive the economy of the country, the university has lagged behind in communicating their research output to the relevant communities and sectors so as to further impact positively on the economic development of the nation. He advanced that UB should have been the first to conduct research on the socio-economic impact posed by the closure of the BCL mine and coming up with recommendations on which economic activities can be conducted to breathe life back in the now ailing Selebi Phikwe.
The Vice Chancellor noted that UB was founded on the basis of the generosity of the people and therefore the university should play a meaningful role in economic development for Batswana. He pointed out that community engagement is central in building an all-inclusive institution where the university uses its great resources to impact positive change in different spheres of life and improve economic and social conditions as espoused in the university's mission statement.
"For every challenge encountered, one has to rise up and succeed in the midst of challenges. We are here for you. UB was set up for the nation and therefore UB must rise up to the occasion and help the nation," said Prof Norris. He said that the university has highly qualified academic staff who conduct academic deep-dive researches which are not known to the general public and business, pointing out that it is time for the university to go and meet the communities and local businesses to share research findings in order to inspire innovation and technological advancement.
"We cannot have a situation where professors sit in the office and pile up researches that they use only for their promotion. As professors, when we do research, one has to answer the question of whose problem are you trying to solve. We have played a big role in the development of human capital but we need to do a lot more. We have to do research with a developmental focus," he said.
He described the Faculty of Business as fully fledged, capacitated and ready to work with various businesses to help them to thrive and enhance economic development. Prof Norris explained that Government Departments, local authorities and businesses can be partners in the building of an economically developed nation backed by research as businesses rely on innovation to prosper.
The Vice Chancellor further revealed that they intend to revise their strategic foundations to align their objectives with focus on becoming a leading international academic centre of excellence which is highly research intensive. He said as UB, they want to become a research based institution as universities across the world are recognised and ranked by the quality of their research output. To achieve this, he said the university will increase the number for postgraduate studies in order to improve their research capacity, pointing further that this is necessary as nations' economies are driven by research and innovation.
Prof Norris said that their research interests include protection of indigenous knowledge where traditional medicine can be linked to science where people with knowledge of the traditional medicine can work with UB Scientists to scientifically test and provide scientific information for the traditional mixtures.
He said it is mind-boggling that in the modern day, some mothers who go to the hospitals to give birth never go back home alive while mothers in the olden times and some today who give birth at home through the help of elders undergo a normal natural birth and survive to take care of their babies. Prof Norris noted that traditional knowledge on natural birth can be shared with scientists to enhance delivery methods in maternity wards where life will be preserved and not lost.
Another partnering opportunity is with regard to the use of the University's state-of-the-art facilities like the Indoor Sport Centre, the Olympic-size swimming pool and the stadium which sport developers can utilise to produce top athletes that can compete in international stage and fly the Botswana flag high.
You may like
Sex on the Alter: Demons lurking within holy walls
From time immemorial the church was seen as a sacred haven for weary souls and those who need rest from worldly aches and pains. This is even written in the Holy Bible; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light," Matthew 11:28-30.
This being said, anyone would be forgiven to think that the first place to run to would be the church. Time has however changed this.
The atrocities perpetrated by the church and their pastors or those who have been called upon to 'lead the flock' have not only distorted their mission, they have caused followers immeasurable pains.
Adorned in the finest regalia in church, the so called men of God are nothing but wolf in sheep's clothing as they lurk in church corners to prey on the innocent and vulnerable in a place where victims thought was their 'Father's house'.
Behind every monster are those who clean up after it and in this case, these are church followers who are alive to the inhumane acts caused by the very men of God whom they have put on pedestals. These followers, more often than not are Elders in the church or those in the revered pastor's inner circles. These followers would, in an attempt to shield their 'man of God', portray the victim as a Jezebel, and shield their pastor and the church's reputation, forsaking the trauma inflicted upon the victim.
The author of 'Sex on the Alter', Kaelo McCoffee was inspired to pen down his book after seeing the endless and unreported incidents that occurred within church walls.
"It's like a play, a drama based on true stories of how "men of God" abuse women sexually, use them and dump them. Not just that, but it addresses how desperate women are for marriage and relationships, resulting in pain. This is covering ill activities happening in the church," said McCoffee.
"The purpose of this book is to open someone's eyes, not just ladies, even guys, that church might be seen or recognised as a good place to be, that might be true yes, but people shouldn't feel comfortable because they are in church. They should be aware of the dangers that can happen to them in church, like I talked about abuse. I wrote this book to bring awareness, mostly to women because they're the ones always going through such mostly."
If one is to look at the grabbling GBV cases within Botswana that occur on a daily basis, one would expect the church to intervene. Not this time around, seeing as how the church is marred with such cases.
"I've seen young girls being used because they fell in love with the guy in a nice suit, they get deceived by material things, they get lied to, "I'll marry you" but after sleeping with them, they leave them, young girls end up reporting cases of rape, yet the truth is they were in love, but because the promises weren't fulfilled there's always drama. Some get paid to be silent. I won't mention anyone by names, but this is what has been happening in many churches, hearts are being broken in the name of the "anointed one". I'm not saying every man of God, I'm talking about things I know of and I've heard happening," he said.
"And to God it's an abomination to drag His name into sin and claiming to be righteous, if God has promised in His word that His servants will even face more punishment for diverting His people into wrong doings then they deserve to be punished, they're humans and they are not even doing what they preach. If the men of God in the Bible got punished for such doings what more of these guys who mess with our sisters."
In an Interview with WeekendPost, the founder of Epistle of Power International Church (EPIC), Duncan Katse confirmed with this publication that these devious acts are very much present within churches and orchestrated by the so called 'pastors'.
"It is true and one thing that makes it true is that we have got a lot of pastors who are not really trained in the area of becoming a pastor and there was no discipline instilled. Young ladies also trust their pastors and spiritual mentors with their all; their lives, their bodies. So when these pastors notice that they are highly regarded they can do anything. If there is no alignment in the mentorship, it is easy for the pastor to manipulate the congregants with spiritual things."
"Some would say 'God wants us to have our moment alone', they will start manufacturing funny prophecies to make the person comfortable to relax with them. Sometimes in private spaces, which becomes very dangerous for a young lady. Not all the ladies who go to church have the intension of sleeping with the man of God. Most women do not report these cases because some judge themselves and are afraid to be accused for falsely accusing the man of God," said Katse.
How women are raped in church
According to close sources, these so called 'men of God', threaten young girls after sleeping with them and that they will be cursed should they decide to speak out. Some will be threatened with the infamous line; 'touch not my anointed.'
"They use their spiritual and prophetic authority to manipulate these women into raping them. There is also an oil called 'do as I say' and most of the girls who became victims will tell you, after being raped, they did not know how the rape occurred. Once they apply that oil, whatever they say you are going to do it whether you like it or not. That is why most of these girls are raped and left sick because most of these men of God are sick. They are sick of HIV/AIDS and STI's. Before raping these women they prepare them emotionally by taking them out for dinners and they end up raping them."
Botswana Council of Churches responds
"Sexual violence and abuse has been an enormously painful and common feature of our collective past. No sector of society, churches included, has been immune to the problem of sexual violence. It is horrible. Whenever we have seen sexual violence, it has always been an offence to God, and a shattering of God's good, redemptive hopes for the human story. Sexual abuse is clearly a shattering of God's intentions for our humanity," said Bishop Metlha Beleme from Botswana Council of Churches
"When God's ways are honoured, there is love, because love – the Scriptures tell us – is the very nature and character of God. When you think about it, sexual violence does all the opposite of 1Corinthians 13:4-7, which talks about love. God wants us to experience love. So, apart from the laws of the land, the Church also has Canon law and the Church court for the trial of such offences as Sexual Immorality."
Beleme further highlighted that; ''there are other healing processes that follow e.g. forgiveness and reconciliation, counselling. Amongst other things we can confess that Church Leaders and Pastors are sinners too, and must be held accountable," he said.
Maybe when all is said and done, the long arm of the law will forever elude churches as evidenced by the many cases internationally regarding the Catholic church and the cases of paedophilia and child molestation that have been ongoing for years on end. And very rarely in Botswana do pastors face criminal charges in court for sex offenses and that may also be because very few women come forth for fear of being ostracised by both church and society.
Parliament caucus: The toxic destruction of MPs' legislative duty
Every five years, a cohort of newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) gather at parliament buildings to take a symbolic oath to assume new role as rarefied individuals who make Botswana's laws — as prescribed in the constitution — for the good governance of Botswana. Staff Writer ALFRED MASOKOLA observes an abdication of responsibility that has become a new normal in the business of parliament.
Few days before President Sir Ketumile Masire cleared his desk at Office of the President to end an eventful and successful 18 year presidency, his apparent heir, Festus Mogae was reaching out to opposition legislators in a bid to solicit for support for his choice for Vice President.
Since 1997 constitutional amendments, parliament has been mandated with the responsibility of endorsing the Vice President before assuming office.
Mogae was scheduled to ascend to the highest position in the land in wake of series of events in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that made him the only viable candidate. Beleaguered by factions, Mogae could not count on his polarised party.
As many noted, Mogae was relatively a new entrant in the BDP politics. Though he was an accomplished technocrat, he was not a political power horse and was without the charisma that the likes of Daniel Kwelagobe, Ponatshego Kedikilwe and the late Lt General Merafhe had.
Luckily for Mogae, his choice for Vice President was a likeable figure — Lt Gen Ian Khama — and accepted across factional divide, and even more remarkably, by some in opposition ranks. The name was endorsed by all BDP MPs, and the cherry on top; by additional two opposition MPs.
The build-up to this accomplishment however highlighted one major thing that Mogae never took for granted — the legitimate power of MPs.
Even in his presidency, Mogae sought to use parliament caucus for the purpose of achieving consensus rather than imposing his own will. Throughout his presidency, Mogae had to navigate through the hostile factions that kept him on his toes.
In 2003, Mogae in what proved to be naïve, publicly endorsed his Vice President- Khama, in the party chairmanship race against Kedikilwe, the co-leader of what was then known as Kwelagobe/Kedikilwe faction, and later Barataphathi.
Inevitably, Khama won the chairmanship — a development that saw Barataphathi losing control of the Central Committee, for the first time since 1981. With victory in 2003, emerged a rebranded faction called A-Team, led by Merafhe and Jacob Nkate.
The faction will come to dominate both the Central Committee and cabinet after 2004 general elections. Mogae had left out Kwelagobe, Kedikilwe, and GUS Matlhabaphiri out of cabinet after 2004 general elections, inadvertently strengthening the backbench which closed ranks with opposition MPs to subject the executive to scrutiny.
At the height of exercising their power, the backbench blocked and rejected government policies and other pieces of legislation brought before parliament.
By 2006, cabinet found it difficult to pass bills, including the Judges Pension Bill and the crucial intelligence bill which created the DIS in 2007.
Faced with a rigid backbench, Mogae reshuffled his cabinet in 2007 restructuring ministries to accommodate members of rival faction in cabinet. Thereafter, the relationship between cabinet and backbench became cordial.
"I am fully aware that the MPs, both the former ministers, the cabal of some new MPs and the rest of the House, can make and unmake me politically," Mogae famously said at 2001 BDP Congress in Palapye, as he deliberated on some of the demands brought forward by MPs.
Like anywhere else in democratic dispensations, MPs hold their own and are not pushovers, even in instances where the executive belongs to the same political party that controls the legislative house.
Mogae had accepted that MPs have their own responsibility and that their power was legitimate. Throughout his presidency, his modus operandi was to consult MPs through caucus whenever an important decision was to be made in parliament.
The approach was also the tradition during the presidency of Masire, the founding father of both the BDP and the nation. Masire considered therisanyo paramount prior to any decision making and was described by Mogae during his memorial as, "consultative, collaborative and patient."
In 2008, things started to change. In recent years, BDP caucus has become increasingly powerful. Unlike in the past, instead of seeking consensus, MPs have been forced to support decisions of the cabinet, even when MPs are not in agreement.
"Caucus has always been there and it is part and parcel of parliament in democracy. Caucus can be flexible depending on leadership. Some issues are allowed conscience debate if caucus cannot reach consensus," said a high ranking BDP member who served as MP under both Mogae and Khama.
"Mogae was liberal and allowed MPs to use their conscience when there was no consensus. Caucus only became a contentious issue during Khama [Ian] presidency and today."
In 2011, weeks after civil servants called off strikes that lasted nearly three months, and crippled the economy, then junior minister in the ministry of Local Government, Kentse Rammidi resigned from the cabinet amid a position taken by the party.
In trying to deal with power of civil servants, cabinet brought before parliament a Bill that sought to prevent a number of cadres in the civil service including teachers from participating in industrial action by making them essential service.
Rammidi, who had sympathised with workers during the strike chose to quit the party after BDP caucus forced MPs to support the bill which was to be brought to parliament by then Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele.
The development set had ushered in a new era in the governance of BDP, with the Executive effectively rendering Parliament — which by all intent and purpose is meant to prove checks on it — a rubber stamp.
The BDP caucus effectively derives its mandate from President as the head of executive.
The latest victim of the domineering caucus is Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP, Reggie Reatile.
Two months ago, the maverick MP was slapped with suspension for abstaining instead of voting alongside agreed party caucus positions.
In the build-up to his suspension, Reatile had on numerous occasions voted against the BDP on the Parliament floor. Reatile also abstained when voting was called on the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) Amendment Bill meant to create the position of Judge Advocate General.
Reatile was also the BDP black sheep that voted against Speaker of Parliament, Phandu Skelemani's decision to suspend Leader of Opposition (LOO) Dumelang Saleshando, from parliament last month.
Prior to Reatile, maverick Ignatius Moswaane, Francistown West legislator, was also suspended. Moswaane has also proved to be a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party as he consistently refused to toe the party line, instead following his conscience.
Moswaane has since resigned from the BDP in favour of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
The insistence on block voting have seen parliament being ultra-polarised, and inadvertently at the expense of the public and good governance.
Despite the country grappled with rising incidence of Gender Based Violence (GBV), the ruling MPs rejected a motion tabled by Mahalapye East MP, Yandani Boko, following a caucus decision.
Boko had tabled a motion on urgency calling for parliament to request President Mokgweetsi Masisi to set-up a Commission of Inquiry on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and other Sexual Offences.
During the BDP caucus, it was agreed that the motion should not be agreed upon, but instead be countered with a suggestion that the duty be referred to an Inter-Ministerial Committee.
Commissions of Inquiry Act empowers the President to set-up a commission and to set its terms of reference.
The motion was however withdrawn by the mover following lack of support from BDP majority.
The rejection of the motion is part of many that have not survived the might of BDP caucus.
In the run-up to 2019 general election, Masisi promised to repeal the infamous Media Practitioners Act passed during his predecessor's administration. The promise was buttressed in the BDP 2019 election manifesto.
However, when Selibe Phikwe West lawmaker, Dithapelo Keorapetse, brought before parliament the same bill, the ruling party caucus tore it apart. In brief; it was rejected.
The constitution of Botswana, adopted in 1966 following independence, vests legislative powers in parliament. Parliament, through its committees is empowered to provide oversight.
Parliament, indirectly elects the President and also has power to dissolve parliament through a pass of motion of no confidence on government supported by simple majority.
Parliament also approves national spending and also entitled to amend certain provisions of the constitution, save for entrenched provisions.
In giving parliament the legislative duties, the constitution also gives the President the power to ascent to bills passed by parliament or return them to parliament if not satisfied. Nevertheless, if parliament insists on not making any amendments, the President is compelled to ascent to the Bill failing which parliament will lead to the dissolution of parliament, necessitating new elections.
With so much power at its disposal why is parliament abdicating its true responsibility?
Gov't urged to stimulate economies until 2021
ByAubrey Lute
The latest edition of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Monitor shows the continuing and devastating impacts of the pandemic on jobs and labour income since early 2020, and the massive disruptions in the labour market that will persist into the fourth quarter of this year.
ILO analysts argue that policymakers will need to maintain support to employment and incomes over the coming months and well into 2021, and to address key challenges.
This content is lockedLogin To Unlock The Content!


text:
Anglophiles, wedding enthusiasts, and collectors of fine bone china, listen up—the first official Royal Wedding memorabilia went on sale this week.
The Associated Press reports that the couple released several wedding china pieces, commissioned by a well-known British ceramics company. According to the office of Prince William, both the Prince and Kate have approved of the design. (The couple made their first public appearance this past Saturday since the announcement of their engagement at a fundraising event).
So far, there are commemorative plates, pillboxes, and a tankard (what else says a Royal Wedding quite like a tankard?) The bone china mementos are elegant if not expected, circled in gold, with pale blue laurels encasing the initials "C" and "W," which are intertwined in the center. The date of the wedding, April 29th, 2011, is displayed prominently on each piece.
But, as with every piece of commemorative flatware, there is controversy. "Collectors aren't interested in anything with no portrait," a specialist told the British tabloid The Sun. "It's not about quality and beauty, anyone in their right mind would prefer something with Kate and Wills on."
The prices are steep for the bone china—the plate runs £40 (approximately $62), £35 ($53) for the tankard and £25 ($39) for the pill box. The china is currently on sale in England at royal palaces, as well as online. The profits from the wedding dishes will be given to a charity that curates and maintains the Royal Family's artwork, called the Royal Collection.
Given the price, The Sun says that many will simply wait until unofficial merchandise is on eBay, where people can snag contraband tea towels with the happy couple for a fraction of the cost.
Selected Reading: AP, British Monarchy, The Sun


text:
Aziz Choudry: Trade Talk - Speaking in Tongues
Trade Talk: Speaking in Tongues
By Aziz Choudry
September 06, 2003
From: http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2003-09/06choudry.cfm
It's enough to make your eyes glaze over.
Modalities. Conditionalities. Most-favoured nation. Rules of Origin. Phytosanitary Standards. TRIPS. TRIMS. GATS. WTO. APEC. FTAA. NAFTA. Trade negotiators, governments, the media and many non-governmental organisation (NGOs) are pumping out material brimming with an alphabet soup of acronyms and jarring technical jargon.
The torrent seems particularly bad right now. Another World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meeting looms imminently, with a November Summit of the Americas not far behind, where trade ministers and officials will meet to discuss the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), a trade and investment agreement between all of the countries in the Americas except Cuba.
The arcane language of trade negotiations and global economics resembles the incomprehensible utterances of those who, in a state of apparent religious ecstasy, believe themselves moved by a divine force – and speak in tongues. Whether it is a belief in salvation by God or the global free market economy, "true believers" frequently feel that they alone have the truth, the light and the way.
The inaccessibility of this language remains a big plus for the economic interests – governments and corporations – behind initiatives like the WTO and FTAA as they seek to mould the world so that global capital can do what it likes, when it likes, how it likes, and with whomever it likes. It is as though they have devised a secret code to keep most of us none the wiser about what they are doing and not particularly interested in finding out, either. That is a surefire way to minimise popular understanding, public debate and dissent.
The dense, confusing jargon and the rather abstract-sounding nature of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT – which established the WTO) led to the subject being dubbed a "ratings killer" by New Zealand media some years ago. It has only been popular education and action on these and other agreements – especially mass mobilisations and non-violent direct action – that have focussed any public attention on them.
Deconstructing and demystifying the WTO and global economics through popular education in terms that we can all understand is an important task if we are to reach out beyond activist and NGO networks and build genuine mass movements that can seriously contest the power of global capital and local elites.
But those of us who closely follow trade negotiations with morbid fascination and concern like soap opera addicts also have a tendency to adopt this gibberish. Perhaps there is something hypnotic and strangely seductive about these words, once we have figured out what they mean. After the initial bewilderment and alienation, they seem to become rapidly incorporated into our own vocabulary. Then we want to proudly show off our new words.
Why do so many NGOs critical of the WTO spend so much time speaking the same language as the trade bureaucrats?
Is it to seek legitimacy in the eyes of officials and institutions? "Take us seriously, we can use long and complicated words and phrases too".
Is it an initiation rite into a cozier world away from the fraught and unglamorous work of mobilizing in communities? "I'm not one of those nasty anti-capitalists – let's talk about modalities".
When we try to fight them in their language we risk sacrificing the power to name our world and assert our values.
Policy analysis, research and advocacy are important but these must be directed by and used to advance the needs and demands of grassroots struggles, not the interests of NGOs which want to maintain good relations with governments and officials by showing that they speak and understand the same language – literally and figuratively. Unsurprisingly, that language tends to exclude criticisms of colonialism, capitalism or imperialism.
The framing of issues in this language, and the narrow focus on technical aspects of texts and official processes is hardly conducive to popular education for mobilization, and indeed shuts out the majority of our societies.
This addiction to technical jargon tends to obscure, rather than advance popular understandings of these processes and institutions and their effects on our lives. It inevitably permeates our "popular education" resources. It runs the risk of connecting only with a very small segment of societies in certain NGOs and activists who eagerly read the regular email bulletins on WTO negotiations. Without being connected to broader political, economic and ecological questions, and struggles for justice and dignity on the ground, their activities and analyses can seem as disconnected from on-the-ground reality as the heady world of trade bureaucrats.
Writing about "NGOism", US global justice activist Patrick Reinsborough says that there is a "terrifyingly widespread conceit among professional "campaigners" that social change is a highly specialized profession best left to experienced strategists, negotiators and policy wonks. NGOism is the conceit that paid staff will be enough to save the world."
I have nothing against sound critical policy analysis but I worry about the way in which this language in the gospel according to the WTO (or the FTAA, World Bank, IMF, etc) comes to frame so much of what we do and say. It is all-too-easy to develop a severe case of tunnel vision from poring over complex wordy documents and to adopt the bizarre compartmentalization of life-and-death issues which the agreements, provisions, articles and clauses of official texts lend themselves to.
Some NGO policy analysts do excellent work in monitoring negotiations and disseminating information. They are able to expose concrete examples of the anti-democratic processes and powerplay that characterizes WTO negotiations. But there is often a real sense of disconnect between their priorities and the priorities and struggles of peoples' movements. Many people most directly affected by neoliberal policies and mobilising at the grassroots may not be familiar with the jargon but have a keen understanding of what is going on and a bigger picture analysis which is often missing in the world of professionalized NGO policy analysts.
The devil lies not only in the details of trade and economic agreements, but in the underlying economic, social, political and environmental agendas underpinning them. Too many of the analyses of trade negotiations have too little political analysis. We fetishise the minutiae of these agreements at the risk of losing sight of the fact that they are manifestations of bigger systemic problems - like capitalism and colonialism.
A certain elitism has already developed in "global justice" networks where policy "experts" in relatively well-resourced organisations are elevated to guru-like status and get to interpret the texts and meanings of meetings for the rest of us. These interpretations – and the accompanying suggestions for action are often divorced from the lived realities of daily struggles for justice and dignity, and a political analysis of the bigger picture. They often urge reformist solutions to try to change or insert some words here or there, rather than challenging the underlying values and principles on which the agreements are based, or heeding popular demands for radical transformation of the prevailing economic order.
We need to be wary of the development of an emergent class of high priests of policy analysis, who are claiming the space, authority and mandate to set strategy and direction of global justice movements. The gulf between them and the aspirations of peoples' struggles needs to be acknowledged and addressed. If anyone is going to save the world from the ravages of neoliberalism, it will be community mobilizations and mass movements, not professional NGOers speaking in tongues.


text:
Monday, January 2, 2012
Luna lunes...
Trying some organic Quinoa for the first time tonight with some soup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
8 comments:
- BBC said...
Don't suppose I'll be trying Quinoa any time soon. I've always been a meat and spuds country boy that enjoys some booze also.
The old gal next door is the same way, minus the booze and she'll be 90 this year.
Oh well, done enough, seen enough, not even trying to get old. My good gene have kept me here longer than I've wanted to be here at times.
- January 2, 2012 at 8:29 PM
- AnnieWorks said...
Did Luna think you were Santa Claus?
- January 2, 2012 at 8:54 PM
- Pablo said...
those are beautifull ladies dude...need to be from NY (where yu come i was born) WOW Luna and daugther...xxxxx
- January 2, 2012 at 9:20 PM
- Pablo said...
ON QUINOA : ( your Wilkipedia link)Derived from the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name kinwa or occasionally "Qin-wah", Quinoa originated in the Andean region of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Peru before they were colonized and became nation-states, where it was successfully domesticated 3,000 to 4,000 years ago for human consumption, though archeological evidence shows a non-domesticated association with pastoral herding some 5,200 to 7,000 years ago.[1]
Similar Chenopodium species, such as pitseed goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) and fat hen (Chenopodium album), were grown and domesticated in North America as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex before maize agriculture became popular.[2] Fat hen, which has a widespread distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, produces edible seeds and greens much like quinoa, but in smaller quantities.
The nutrient composition is very good compared with common cereals. Quinoa grains contain essential amino acids like lysine and good quantities of calcium, phosphorus, and iron.[3]
After harvest, the grains need to be processed to remove the coating containing the bitter-tasting saponins. Quinoa grains are in general cooked the same way as rice and can be used in a wide range of dishes. Quinoa leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is limited
- January 2, 2012 at 9:25 PM
- Rev.JimmyLeeBob said...
You seem to attract the chicks with
the superfly goggles.....
- January 3, 2012 at 6:44 AM
- mike said...
Weird sun glasses lol
- January 3, 2012 at 7:52 AM
- Rita B. said...
and if you don't care for the Quinoa, maybe the girls (Ms's B & B) would like to try it?
- January 3, 2012 at 1:02 PM
- Allen Hare said...
I've said it before. You ARE a chick magnet. I rather like the sunglasses. The little one is way cute. Love her pink cowgirl boots.
Looks like you've discovered a near perfect food there. Looking forward to your review.
- January 3, 2012 at 7:03 PM


text:
Obamacare dodged two bullets this year. First, it survived Supreme Court review when Chief Justice Roberts found a way to uphold its constitutionality. Second, it survived the election which saw Obama defeat a candidate who promised to undermine Obamacare care and support its repeal.
Does this mean that Obamacare is a done deal? Not according to Yuval Levin and James Capretta. They note that the law is heavily dependent on state implementation, and that some states may not do the federal government's bidding.
The states, Levin and Capretta remind us, have two key choices to make that together will put them in the driver's seat: whether to create state health-insurance exchanges and whether to expand Medicaid. As to the first choice, running the exchanges would be an administrative nightmare. It would require a complicated set of rules, mandates, databases, and interfaces to establish eligibility, funnel subsidies, and facilitate purchases. Moreover, this would have to be accomplished in the context of what Levin and Capretta describe as "broad and often incoherent statutory requirements and federal regulations that have yet to be written."
To make matters worse:
The exchanges would create unsustainable pressures on each state's insurance market, treating similarly situated people differently by providing far greater subsidies for those in the exchanges than those in employer plans—yielding perverse incentives that distort consumer and employer decisions and increase costs. States would endure all this simply to become functionaries of the federal government. The idea that creating state exchanges would give states control over their insurance markets is a fantasy. The states would be enforcing a federal law and federal regulations, with very little room for independent judgment.
Not surprisingly, then, some governors — including Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, and Scott Walker — have already indicated that they won't build the exchanges. Others, including a few Democrats, have expressed reservations.
Without state participation, the burden and costs of the exchanges falls on the federal government. And Levin and Capretta question whether the administration could operate the exchanges on its own.
Congress didn't allocate money for administering federal exchanges, and the law as written seems to prohibit federally run exchanges from providing subsidies to individuals. The administration insists that it can provide those subsidies anyway. But if the courts read the plain words of the statute, then federal exchanges couldn't really function.
States are also free to refuse the expansion of Medicaid. That expansion would throw millions of additional Americans into a system that, according to Levin and Capretta, is already bankrupting state governments and increasing costs in the private-insurance market. Indeed, "Medicaid's payments for services are so low that many existing beneficiaries have trouble finding physicians and other health-care providers who will accept them as patients." Thus, enrolling even more people without reform "will push the system to the point of collapse."
Under these circumstances, it would hardly be surprising if more than a few governors decline to play along with the administration on Medicaid.
Eventually, then, we could be left with two sets of health care systems in this country — sort of like baseball with the "Designated Hitter Rule." Presumably, one system would work better than the other, so that, unlike in baseball, voter pressure might lead to the discarding of the less popular system.


text:
Photo of the Day: Del Popolo's INSANE Pizza Truck
Have you seen this? It's the Del Popolo pizza truck, the new project from former Flour + Water pizzaman Jon Darsky. Looks like it paid a visit the other day to Flour + Water, which posted the photo above to Instagram. That rig is lookin' serious.
From the Del Popolo website:
Del Popolo is housed in a 20-foot transatlantic shipping container that's been repurposed and modified into a kitchen. A wall of glass doors exposes the interior, including the traditional Italian-made wood-fired oven.
No word on whether it's on the street officially yet. [via Andrew J.]
More details on the Del Popolo food truck here»
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


text:
Remote Mentoring is Available
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, SCORE mentors will meet with clients remotely.
Mentors are available to participate in remote mentoring sessions via phone, email, and video. If you already have a SCORE mentor, ask them if you can use a remote mentoring method for your sessions. If you don't already have a SCORE mentor, you can request a remote business mentor below. We are also offering a new real-time mentoring platform to get advice live.
The health of small business owners, their employees and the SCORE network of volunteers remain our top priority.
Now Available: Real-Time Mentoring
Mentors are available Tuesday and Thursdays, 2 to 5 p.m. ET
The coronavirus crisis has drastically impacted small businesses. Owners face uncertainty and confusion while trying to protect their businesses. SCORE has created a new way for small business owners to get the help they need, quickly.
Our Real-Time Mentoring platform, presented by Constant Contact, is an online environment where you can connect with SCORE expert business mentors—LIVE.
SCORE partners will also be available to help business owners with invaluable resources. You can join online discussions with other business owners facing similar challenges in the networking rooms.
Mentoring Works!
Small business owners who receive three or more hours of mentoring report higher revenues and increased growth.
Why Choose SCORE?
- SCORE provides confidential business advice through our network of 10,000 volunteer business experts.
- Since SCORE is a nonprofit resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), our mentoring services are free, regardless of the number of times you visit a mentor.
- You can meet with one or several mentors via email, video chat or face-to-face in your local chapter.
- Our mentors are experienced in all aspects and stages of business development, whether you're thinking of starting a business or growing your existing company.
Get Started in Five Steps:
- Identify your business question.
- Search for a mentor, or let your local chapter pair you with a mentor.
- Submit a mentoring request to share your business question(s) with an expert.
- Start working on your business goals with help from your mentor.
- Continue working with your mentor throughout the life of your business.


text:
Well I've done a bad thing
No further progress on my GN15 layout all week.
Bad modeller
But today I built a OO shunting layout based on the classic inglenook layout with an extra siding (47" by 11.5"). Bought the trackwork yesterday along with some other bits and pieces. I've gone for manually operated points, after all, I've only got 3 of them Had it up and running on the foam base within 45 minutes including cattle dock, goods shed, provender store, loading ramp, station platform, halt, air raid shelter type hut, groundframe, water crane, grounded body and a few trees.
Helps of course that they were all from my former OO layout. Still got one more to build as a tuning fork variant, which should nicely use up the rest of my spare structures and the penultimate piece of blue foam.
Played shunting puzzles for a couple of hours
The last piece of blue foam is destined to be a small HO shunting layout. Probably another inglenook but 54" by 10" to allow for the 40' cars and the longer points.
Meanwhile I've also been busy on my new HO(former OO) layout, installing DCC. Got the Lenz 100 set in a fit of exhuberance as well as ordered 2 more locos, albeit Boson and Maine. Chipped my GP-7 and had it running happily.
Managed to get a Rutland Road freight car as well Martin, I seem to recall you are collecting the RR in N gauge.
Now if anyone can advise me on DCC let me know. Do I need a separate transformer for my capacitor discharge units or can I pwoer them from the same one that powers the DCC command module?
Using a spare controller at the moment just to be on the safe side
Anyway, it made a nice break from Gn15 modelling but it is just a diversion from the real thing


text:
Outlook offers several ways to filter emails. A filter lets you see only those messages that meet certain criteria. For example, you could pick a filter that lets you see only emails that have attachments or are unread. Here's how it works.
On the Home tab, in the Find group, click Filter Email.
Click any of the filters to see only those emails that fit that category. For example, select This Week to show time ranges and click Last Week to see only emails you received last week.
To remove the filter, click Close Search, and your email view returns to normal–you can see all the emails in your inbox.


text:
OIF Summary, Dec. 17, 2009: Forces in Baghdad Crack Down on al-Qaida
Dispatches from the Front:
BAGHDAD, Dec. 17, 2009 -- Iraqi security forces with U.S. advisors arrested a suspected leader of a terrorist group operating in southern Baghdad yesterday and followed up overnight with four more operations targeting the Baghdad al-Qaida in Iraq network.
All of the operations were conducted with warrants issued by Iraqi courts for the arrest of suspected terrorists.
Acting on intelligence gathered by Iraqi and U.S. sources, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors stopped an alleged Aisha Battalion cell leader as he was driving on a public roadway west of Baghdad. Aisha Battalion is an al-Qaida in Iraq proxy group. The driver and passenger were positively identified and arrested without incident.
The suspected terrorist is believed to be involved in kidnapping Iraqi civilians for ransom and using the money to fund attacks against security forces. He allegedly is associated with senior al-Qaida in Iraq leaders who coordinate large-scale vehicle-bomb attacks targeting civilians and government buildings in Baghdad.
The follow-up operations conducted overnight targeted suspected associates of the two men arrested yesterday.
Iraqi forces and U.S advisors searching a building found evidence of terrorist activity, including a large amount of metal wiring and traces of explosives powder on components that could be used to make improvised explosive devices. Based on this evidence and preliminary questioning conducted on the premises, Iraqi forces arrested a suspected terrorist without incident.
The second overnight operation took place in western Baghdad. Based on information collected during their search of a building, Iraqi forces arrested three suspected terrorists.
The third overnight operation also took place in western Baghdad, where Iraqi forces and U.S advisors searched a building and found devices that could be used to make explosives. Iraqi forces arrested a suspected terrorist without incident.
In the fourth overnight operation, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors searched two buildings in southern Baghdad and found evidence that led Iraqi police to arrest three suspected terrorists.
(From a Multinational Force Iraq news release.)
Labels: Dispatches from the Front, GWOT, Iraq, Military, OIF, Terrorism


text:
2013 Nissan Titan Overview (Press Release)
Do you like this Press Release?
2013 Nissan Titan Full-Size Pickup Offers Revised PRO-4X Appearance, New Exterior Colors and Moonroof/DVD Packages
– Continues to Offer Innovative Bed Features, Standard 317-Horsepower 5.6-liter V8 –
Since introduction, the powerful full-size Nissan Titan has established a reputation as a rugged, reliable, spirited choice for active truck buyers. It offers a range of innovations, including the first-in-class Utili-track™ cargo-carrying system, available durable spray-on bedliner, lockable bedside storage compartment, Wide-Open rear doors (King Cab) and the longest Crew Cab bed in class*. For 2013, Titan continues as a truck designed to get the job done, whether that job entails hauling cargo, a trailer or just family and friends.
Titan is again offered in a range of body, bed and drivetrain configurations to fit a variety of buyer needs and uses: King Cab and Crew Cab body styles, a choice of 4×4 and 4×2 drive configurations, two wheelbases (138.8 inches and 159.5 inches), three bed lengths and four well-equipped trim levels – S, SV, PRO-4X and SL. Titan is also available as a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) designed to run on E85 Ethanol.
A number of enhancements are offered for 2013, starting with a new tailgate design with aerodynamic rear spoiler, along with additions and revised content for the various models and equipment packages.
Titan PRO-4X receives a refreshed exterior appearance, with revised graphics, satin chrome grille, dark wheel finish and bright silver-finish lower radiator skid plate – along with a revised interior appearance with white stitching accents (previously red), new logo design and Titan embroidery for cloth seats (leather-appointed seats maintain PRO-4X embroidery). Step rails are added as standard on SV and SL models and a standard 120V outlet is added to the truck bed on SL models (optional on SV and PRO-4X Premium Utility Packages). New styled-steel wheels are added to S models and mudguards are now standard on SL models. PRO-4X/SL Moonroof and DVD Packages are added to the list of available options.
Also, a Display Audio/USB/Satellite radio is added as standard on PRO-4X (also available in SV Value Truck Package), with NissanConnectSM with Navigation/USB standard on SL and optional on the PRO-4X Luxury Package (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately). The revised exterior color selection includes seven new colors: Pearl White, Espresso Black, Glacier White, Gun Metallic, Graphite Blue, Java Metallic and Cayenne Red, along with Galaxy Black and Brilliant Silver.
Titan is built on Nissan's rugged F-Alpha pickup platform, featuring a powerful 5.6-liter DOHC Endurance V8 rated at 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft torque and a standard 5-speed automatic transmission. Titan has a maximum towing capacity of up to 9,500 pounds for King Cab and 9,400 pounds for Crew Cab (when properly equipped).
While Titan is first and foremost designed for hard work and hard play, an array of technology and comfort features are available, including Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System, SiriusXM Satellite Radio (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately), NissanConnectSM with Navigation system, Rockford Fosgate audio system, heated front seats, leather-appointed seating and a DVD entertainment center with 8.0-inch screen.
A Generous Bed with Utili-Track™ Bed Channel System
The Titan exterior is anchored by a distinctive, powerful front end and cab appearance and an innovative generous utility bed design. A new tailgate design is offered for all 2013 models with an aerodynamic spoiler, and step rails are now standard on SV and SL models.
Titan King Cab offers a 139.8-inch wheelbase and 79.1-inch bed, while the Titan Crew Cab features a 139.8-inch wheelbase and 67.3-inch bed. The Crew Cab SV Long Wheelbase model features a 159.5-inch wheelbase and an 87.0-inch bed, nearly 20 inches longer than the standard wheelbase Crew Cab bed and the longest in class.
Titan King Cab models also feature Wide-Open rear doors, which open 168 degrees for easy rear cab access. Key to the door's design is a hefty, two-stage hinge with four axis of rotation. The doors open first to a conventional 85 degrees, then can be swung the rest of the way for easy loading and unloading of cargo or passengers.
Titan's available spray-on bedliner (standard on SL models) helps prevent scratch damage and corrosion to the bed and inner tailgate surface. Thinner than drop-in bedliners or typical aftermarket spray-on applications, the Titan bedliner also maximizes bed volume.
Also available is the Utili-track™ Bed Channel System, with five special "C" cross-section rails that are mounted in the bed (two channels in the bed floor, and one each on the bed side rails and the bed header panel). Titan is the only truck to offer five channels. Removable heavy-duty utility cleats (rated at 200 pounds) slide into the channels, providing a wide range of attachment points for tying down cargo. The channels are open at the rear of the bed, allowing the cleats to be completely removed when not in use for easy cleaning. To further maximize Titan's utility, Nissan offers an extensive line of bed accessories, including dividers, extenders, sliding cargo trays, modular storage units, bike and kayak racks and other accessories.
As required for a working pickup, the Titan bed also carries 4×8-foot plywood sheets between the wheel housings. Titan's bed includes an available dampened tailgate assist that aids in the effort to open and close the tailgate. Titan also features an available innovative bedside storage compartment located behind the rear driver's side wheel (SV, PRO-4X and SL models). The bedside storage bin is designed to hold common utility items such as work gloves, chains, rope, road flares, first aid kit or a hitch ball. The compartment is double-sealed to help prevent the intrusion of water and dust and uses the Titan ignition key for unlocking.
A Powerful, Refined Engine with Outstanding Towing Power
The 2013 Nissan Titan utilizes a rugged, fully boxed high-strength all-steel F-Alpha platform for crash performance and long-term durability. Every Titan comes equipped with Nissan's advanced Endurance V8 as standard equipment. The all-aluminum 5.6-liter V8 engine is rated at 317 horsepower and 385 lb-ft of torque and utilizes an aluminum block with cast iron cylinder liners, forged steel crankshaft, microfinished crankshaft and camshaft, graphite-coated pistons, 6-bolt main bearing caps and super silent single-stage timing chain. Titan is available with Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) technology as a no-cost option (available in certain regions only). Equipped with a common fuel tank designed to run on varying blends of gasoline with ethanol (up to E85), Titan FFV offers an alternative to conventional gasoline. All Titans feature a 28-gallon fuel tank, providing an excellent driving range.
Titan's standard 5-speed automatic transmission is designed especially for truck use, with emphasis on serious towing and smooth shift quality. A transmission temperature gauge is included in the meter cluster on SV, PRO-4X and SL models. An Active Brake Limited-Slip Differential (2-wheel or 4-wheel) is standard on both 4×2 and 4×4 models.
Titan 4×4 models adapt an advanced shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel drive system with 2WD/4HI/4LO modes with electronic control part-time transfer case. Titan features a maximum towing capacity of 9,500 pounds for King Cab and 9,400 pounds for Crew Cab (when properly equipped) – as much as some 3/4-ton pickups.
Titan's responsive handling is a product of its all-steel double wishbone front suspension design and overslung leaf spring (dual rate) rear suspension with shackles mounted along the frame sides to increase departure angle. Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering is standard, along with 4-wheel disc brakes with Bosch Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.
Titan offers new styled-steel 18-inch wheels on S models, with 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels standard on SV models (optional on Titan S). PRO-4X models feature dark finish off-road style 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, while 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels are standard on the Titan SL. Crew Cab SV models are offered with optional 18-inch chrome-clad aluminum-alloy wheels and 20-inch chrome-plated aluminum-alloy wheels are optional on SL models.
A Comfortable, Highly Refined Interior
Titan's interior features refined styling and two interior configurations – a bench seat with column shifter (seats six) or two front bucket seats with a large center console and gated floor shifter (seats five). The bench seat is standard on S and SV models, while captains seats are standard on the PRO-4X and SL models and available as part of the SV Value Truck Package (SV models). The bucket seat-equipped Titan's center console can hold a variety of beverage containers, including a one-liter bottle. A 12-volt adapter is equipped in the back of the center console and can be used as a power source for a phone or other electronic devices. The console offers a variety of storage choices, with size adjusted by simply removing or adding dividers. The console's storage box can also accommodate hanging file folders and contains holders for maps, paper, pens and business cards on the console lid.
Also available among Titan's many interior features are standard flip-up 60/40 rear seat cushions for added cargo space and flexibility – with available grocery hooks on the bottom of the seat cushions. The rear floor is designed to be nearly flat for maximum cargo utility.
The Crew Cab's rear seat is large and relaxing, with a full 24 degrees of seat back angle, helping passengers take full advantage of the Crew Cab Titan's 125.6 cubic feet of available space, including front and rear seat leg room of 41.8 inches and 40.4 inches, respectively.
Both King Cab and Crew Cab Titans' rear compartments offer ample rear storage, including door storage bins and rear door bottle holders in the armrests and available power front windows with one-touch auto up/down function (not available on King Cab S models). All Titan Crew Cab models feature a standard power down/up rear bed access cab window.
An available overhead console system gives passengers more storage options. The console contains storage bins for both front and rear passengers for items like sunglasses, CDs, cell phone, PDA or a small tissue box. Titan features an available fold-flat front passenger seat that allows extra versatility and can also be used as a working area. Also available are power-adjustable front seats (8-way driver's seat, 4-way passenger's seat), a driver's seat memory system and heated seats. Titan also offers available power-adjustable foot pedals with memory. Crew Cab PRO-4X and SL models offer an optional rear-seat DVD Entertainment System with fold-down eight-inch monitor.
Safety and Security
The 2013 Titan includes a long list of safety equipment, including Nissan's Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual stage front supplemental air bags with seat belt sensors and a front passenger occupant classification sensor; front seat belts with adjustable upper anchors, pretensioners and load limiters; front seat Active Head Restraints; three-point rear passenger seat belts; and LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) child seat anchor system. Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags and roof-mounted supplemental curtain air bags with rollover sensor are standard equipment on all models. Other vehicle-incorporated safety features include Zone Body construction with front and rear structure crumple zones, an energy absorbing steering column, hood buckling creases with safety stops, knee bolsters, body side reinforcements and a shift interlock system. Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control System (TCS) are also standard.
Model Lineup and Equipment Packages
The 2013 Nissan Titan King Cab and Titan Crew Cab are offered in four well-equipped models – S, SV, PRO-4X and SL – and with a choice of 4×2 and 4×4 drive configurations, except PRO-4X which is available in 4×4 only. Each is offered with a long list of standard equipment, including a powerful 5.6-liter Endurance V8 mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission.
Titan S models are equipped with a standard 40/20/40 split front bench seat with a center seat fold-down armrest, split fold-up rear seat and seating for six people. Titan SV models include standard 5-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels and 265/70R18 tires, chrome steel bumpers, front overhead console, manual lumbar support, power door locks with Auto-locking feature, tailgate assist, power windows with front auto up/down, cruise control, Remote Keyless Entry and more.
The Titan PRO-4X features satin chrome-finish grille, an identifying decal over the rear fenders and a number of exterior trim components to achieve a sportier look, along with a lockable bedside storage compartment, splash guards and auto on/off headlights. PRO-4X performance equipment includes Rancho® performance shock absorbers, a lower final drive ratio (3.357), additional skid plates on the oil pan and transfer case, an Electronic Locking Rear Differential and unique 18-inch aluminum-alloy off-road wheels with off-road style center caps and largest-in-class BFGoodrich® Rugged Trail® 275/70R18 all-terrain tires.
The PRO-4X interior receives styling cues that differentiate it from the rest of the Titan lineup with unique white-face meters and gauges, seats featuring an embroidered PRO-4X logo, white stitching and available leather-appointed seats and white-stitched shifter knob and steering wheel.
Titan SL models add 6-spoke 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, standard utility bed features, leather-appointed seating, Rockford Fosgate-powered audio system with up to 10 speakers (eight speakers on King Cab, 10 speakers on Crew Cab), dual-zone auto-climate control system, wood appearance trim, Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System, SiriusXM Satellite Radio (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately), front and rear overhead consoles (Crew Cab only), power folding mirrors with heat, power adjust, auto dim, integrated turn signal and more.
A number of equipment packages are also offered, including the S Popular Equipment Package with sliding rear window with tint ((King Cab only), tinted rear door glass (King Cab only), front overhead console, Remote Keyless Entry (Crew Cab only), cruise control, 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, receiver hitch, 7-pin wiring harness connector (rear bumper), and brake controller jumper wire.
The SV Value Truck Package offers cloth captain's seats with center console, gated leather floor shift, RearView Monitor, USB point, 120V power point (in center console), fold-flat passenger seat, rear HVAC vents (Crew Cab only), 8-way power driver's seat, fog lights, Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System, steering wheel audio controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror, compass, leather-wrapped steering wheel, Rear Sonar System and receiver hitch, 7-pin wiring harness connector and brake controller jumper wire.
Also offered is the SV Utility Package with lockable bedside storage compartment, Utili-track® Channel System with 4 tie-down cleats, tailgate area illumination, bed-mounted 120V power point and factory-applied spray-on bedliner. The SV Premium Utility Package adds a Rockford Fosgate premium audio system with two additional speakers, HomeLink® Universal Transceiver, power-adjustable pedals, lockable bedside storage compartment, Utili-track® Channel System with 4 tie-down cleats, tailgate area illumination, bed-mounted 120V power point, factory-applied spray-on bedliner, lower final gear ratio, front tow hooks (4×2) and power heated extendable tow mirrors.
Four packages are also offered for Titan PRO-4X: the exclusive PRO-4X Premium Utility Package and PRO-4X Luxury Package, and the shared PRO-4X/SL Moonroof and DVD entertainment packages. One exclusive SL package completes the options list: the SL Max Utility Package with lower final gear ratio, heavy duty battery (standard on FFV models), front tow hooks (4×2) and extending tow mirrors.
The 2013 Nissan Titan is assembled by Nissan North America in Canton, Mississippi.
# # #
*Ward's Light Vehicle Market Segmentation. M Y13 Titan vs. 2012 Large Pickup Class.


text:
Olé, Olena! No. 4 on the Scarriet Hot 100
1. Claudia Rankine –Seems everyone wanted her to win the National Book Award
2. Louise Gluck –Won the National Book Award. Coming into focus as morbid lyricist
3. Dan Chiasson –Coveted reviewing perch in the glossy pages of the New Yorker
4. Olena K. Davis –Praised by #3 for "Do you know how many men would paykilldie/for me to suck their cock? fuck"
5. Terrance Hayes –2014 Best American Poetry Editor for David Lehman's annual series (since 1988)
6. Patricia Lockwood –Her book, Motherland Fatherland Homelandsexuals made NY Times most notable 2014 book list
7. Rita Dove —What was all that fuss about her anthology, again?
8. Henri Cole —Poetry editor part of mass resignation at New Republic
9. Valerie Macon –appointed laureate of North Carolina, resigned due to firestorm because she lacked credentials
10. Helen Vendler –Contributing editor in TNR's mass exodus
11. Glyn Maxwell –British poet and editor of The Poetry Of Derek Walcott 1948-2013
12. James Booth –author of Philip Larkin: Life, Art, and Love
13. Afaa Michael Weaver –this spring won the Kingsley Tufts Award: $100,000 dollars
14. Frederick Seidel –Stirred outrage with a strange poem about Ferguson.
15. Clive James –Got into some controversy about racism and sex reviewing Booth's book on Philip Larkin in the Times
16. William Logan –The honest reviewer is the best critic.
17. Ron Silliman –Elegy & Video-Cut-and-Paste Blog
18. John Ashbery –Perennial BAP poet
19. Cathy Park Hong –Wrote "Fuck the Avant-garde" before Brown/Garner protests: Hong says poetry avant-garde is racist.
20. Philip Nikolayev –Poet, translator, Fulcrum editor, currently touring India as beloved U.S. poetry guest
21. Marilyn Chin –Poet, translator, new book from Norton, currently touring Asia as beloved U.S. poetry guest
22. Daniel Borzutzky –Guest blogger on Poetry Foundation's Blog Harriet: "We live in an occupied racist police state"
23. Ben Mazer –Brings out Collected Poems of John Crowe Ransom—as po-biz churns with racial indignation
24. Nathaniel Mackey –Headlined poetry reading at Miami Book Fair International.
25. Marjorie Perloff —Now we get it: the avant-garde is conservative
26. Amy Berkowitz –Wrote on VIDA Web page how everyone has been raped and how we can be safe.
27. Yelena Gluzman –Ugly Duckling editor publishes vol. 3 of annual document of performance practice, Emergency Index
28. Carol Ann Duffy –British poet laureate gave riveting reading in Mass Poetry festival (Salem, MA) this spring
29. P.J. Harvey –Rocker to publish book of poems in 2015—Good luck. Rock is easier.
30. Christian Nagler –poet in Adjunct Action: "SF Art Institute: faculty are 80% adjunct and have no say in the functioning of the institution"
31. Major Jackson –Wins $25,000 NEA grant.
32. Divya Victor –Her book, Things To Do With Your Mouth, wins CA Conrad's Sexiest Poetry Award.
33. Kenny Goldsmith —wears a two-million-ton crown
34. Donald Hall –new book, Essays After Eighty
35. Mary Oliver –new book, Blue Horses: Poems
36. Charles Wright –2015's U.S. Poet Laureate
37. Stephen Burt –Harvard critic looking for funny stuff other than Flarf and Conceptualism.
38. Vijay Seshadri –2014 Pulitzer in Poetry
39. Ron Smith –The new poet laureate of the great state of Virginia! North Carolina still waits…
40. Sherman Alexie –the first poet in BAP 2014. It used to be Ammons.
41. Erin Belieu –Hilarious poem spoofing Seamus Heaney in her new book, Slant Six
42. Robert Pinsky –has influence, authority and a lisp
43. Billy Collins –Becoming critically irrelevant?
44. Adam Kirsch –Senior Editor and poetry critic, also saying goodbye to TNR
45. Cornelius Eady –co-founded Cave Canem.
46. Anne Carson –One of those poets one is supposed to like because they're a little deeper than you…
47. Lucie Brock-Broido –Emily Dickinson refuses to be channeled
48. Tony Hoagland –still smarting from that tennis poem
49. Bob Hicok –He's the new Phil Levine, maybe?
50. Yusef Komunyakaa –Won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1993
51. Eileen Myles –Just published a novel about her younger days
52. Sharon Olds –still glowing from her 2013 Pulitzer win, the book showcasing her exploded marriage
53. D.A. Powell –Studied with Vendler at Harvard
54. Cate Marvin –In BAP 2014 and on fire with p.c indignation.
55. Dean Young –wants to be the best poet ever—in a late 70s Iowa Workshop sort of way
56. Chris Hughes —TNR owner: "Despite what has been suggested, the vast majority of our staff remain…excited to build a sustainable and strong New Republic that can endure."
57. Alan Cordle –changed poetry forever with his Foetry.com
58. George Bilgere –patiently enduring the Collins comparisons
59. William Kulik –the 'let it all hang out' prose poem
60. Amy King –Northern Lesbo Elitist
61. Leah Finnegan –Wrote in Gawker of TNR: "White Men Wrong White Man Placed in Charge of White-Man Magazine."
62. Jorie Graham –Get ready! Her Collected is coming!
63. David Kirby –"The Kirb" teaches in Florida; a less controversial Hoagland?
64. Don Share –edits the little magazine that prints lousy poetry and has a perfunctory, cut-and-paste blog
65. Paul Lewis –BC prof leading Poe Revisionism movement
66. Robert Montes –His I Don't Know Do You made NPR's 2014 book list
67. Cameron Conaway –"beautifully realized and scientifically sound lyrics" which "calls attention to a disease that kills over 627,000 people a year" is how NPR describes Malaria, Poems
68. Charles Bernstein –He won. Official Verse Culture is dead. (Now only those as smart as Bernstein read poetry)
69. Richard Howard –Did you know his prose poems have been set to music?
70. Harold Bloom –He has much to say.
71. Camille Paglia –Still trying to fuse politics and art; almost did it with Sexual Personae
72. Vanessa Place –This conceptualist recently participated in a panel.
73. Michael Bazzett —You Must Remember This: Poems "a promising first book" says the New Criterion
74. Matthea Harvey —If the Tabloids Are True What Are You? recommended by Poets.Org
75. Peter Gizzi –His Selected Poems published in 2014
76. Mark Bibbins –Poets.Org likes his latest book of poems
77. Les Murray –New Selected Poems is out from FSG
78. Michael Robbins –writes for the Chicago Tribune
79. Stephen Dunn –The Billy Collins school—Lines of Defense is his latest book
80. Robin Becker —Tiger Heron—latest book from this poet of the Mary Oliver school
81. Cathy Linh Che —Split is her debut collection; trauma in Vietnam and America
82. John Gallaher –Saw a need to publish Michael Benedikt's Selected Poems
83. Jennifer Moxley –Panelist at the Miami Book Fair International
84. Bob Dylan –Is he really going to win the Nobel Prize?
85. Ann Lauterbach –Discusses her favorite photographs in the winter Paris Review
86. Fanny Howe –Read with Rankine at Miami Book Fair
87. Hannah Gamble –In December Poetry
88. Marianne Boruch —Cadaver, Speak is called a Poets.Org Standout Book
89. Anthony Madrid –His new book is called I Am Your Slave Now Do What I Say
90. Robyn Schiff —Revolver is not only a Beatles album.
91. Ted Greenwald —A Mammal of Style with Kit Robinson
92. Rachel Zucker —The Pedestrians is out
93. Dorothea Lasky —Rome is her fourth book
94. Allan Peterson —Precarious is the new book: "the weed field had been/readying its many damp handkerchiefs/all along."
95. Adrienne Raphel –"lavender first and by far"
96. Gillian Conoley —Peace is chosen as a Poets.Org Standout Book
97. Barbara Hamby –"The Kirb" needs to know. She's not on the list because of him.
98. Katia Kopovich –She coedits Fulcrum with husband Nikolayev.
99. Doc Luben –"14 lines from love letters or suicide notes" a slam poem viewed a lot on YouTube
100. Tracy K. Smith —2012 Pulitzer in Poetry for Life On Mars


text:
Cellphone company offering home security packages
AT&T Inc. is launching its home security and automation service in 15 cities Friday.
The company is eyeing toward getting customers hooked on security cameras, thermostats and locks they can control from phones and tablets.
AT&T's "Digital Life" packages will be sold in cellphone stores in markets that include Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami.
The company plans to roll the offering out to 50 markets by the end of the year.
The home monitoring and automation field is dominated by security firms like ADT Corp. Other phone and cable companies sell security packages, but AT&T is going further by developing its own technology and selling it nationwide, not just where it provides local phone service.
The security packages will start at $29.99 a month with $149.99 for equipment and installation. The next upgrade is for $39.99 a month plus $249.99 for installation, which will include a motion sensor, carbon monoxide sensor, glass break sensor and smoke sensor.
Digital Life is launching first in Atlanta, Austin, Boulder, Colo., Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Riverside, Calif., San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, and parts of the greater New York City area.


text:
SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday that key naval assets could be relocated north to adapt to a changing security landscape and put personnel nearer to their fields of operation.
Rudd, facing national polls on September 7, said moving Sydney Harbour's Garden Island base to Queensland, in the east, and Western Australia could improve the nation's ability to sustain operations in the Asia-Pacific.
"Our national security challenges of the future lie to our northeast, to our north, and to our northwest," the Labor leader said in a foreign policy speech.
"That has been the strategic logic of Australia's defence policy for the last 30 years. This is a continuum in Australian defence force policy."
Rudd said the approach underlined Canberra's enduring interest in regional stability and would better facilitate Australian military responses to humanitarian crises in the Asia-Pacific.
A move would also take defence personnel closer to their fields of activity and at the same time open up Sydney Harbour to the growing cruise ship industry, he said.
Rudd said if re-elected he would establish a future navy taskforce to advise on how best to shift some or all of Garden Island's Fleet Base East to Queensland and Perth, in Western Australia.
It would also advise on "developing, upgrading or expanding" bases in Darwin in the Northern Territory, and the northern Western Australian town of Broome.
"The government would expect the relocation of fleet elements north and west to be completed by 2030," Rudd said.
Australia is seen as a critical pillar in the US "pivot" to Asia and Washington's rebalancing of its military strategy, with hundreds of American marines already stationed in Darwin.
But the idea of moving the navy's major base north has not been universally welcomed, with New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell saying it would cost thousands of jobs in his state.
O'Farrell, who crossed paths with the prime minister on the Sydney Harbour foreshore after Rudd's speech, said his comments had come as a shock.
"A phone call would've been nice," he said to Rudd as they walked past each other.
"We stand to lose 4,000 direct jobs all because we have a federal political leader so spooked by the polls he will do anything, even use defence infrastructure, as a tactic to try and win votes," O'Farrell said.
Conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who opinion polls suggest will win the upcoming national election, said he was not against shifting military assets appropriately "over time".
"What I am against is policy on the run by a desperate government," Abbott told reporters.
James Brown, a military fellow at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said while Australia's strategic interests were increasingly to the north and west it was not necessary to "uproot the entire navy to secure them".
Brown said positioning new amphibious assault vessels closer to the army units they would embark with would allow them to respond to a crisis 24 hours faster than if there were based in Sydney.
"But the sheer scale of upheaval required to move navy bases, as well as the cost, would outweigh this benefit," he said, adding that the cost of a new east coast base had been estimated conservatively at Aus$6-9 billion (US$5-8 billion).
The Australian Defence Association lobby group said Brisbane, in Queensland, was not a viable option for a major naval base because the city was built on a flood-prone river which opened onto a shallow bay, unlike Sydney's deep water harbour.


text:
University of Delaware: Changing the World and Public Policy
Everyone wants to change the world in one way or another. But it seems that as time goes on, too many things get in the way of certain goals and dreams. This course focuses on a wide variety of relevant politics, as well as asking the broad question: "Can you get a job, AND make a difference?" The subject material revolves around the student's perspective of the world, and gives great life lessons all while counting towards your GPA.
Ohio State University: Parenting
In today's day and age, many guides and technologies exist to help teach our society better ways to parent, but do all those products really help? As a high level course, this college course takes philosophical approaches towards mastering this ancient occupation. Finally, a class that answers students' famous question: "How will I ever use this in the real world?"
Colorado State University: Death, Dying and Grief
This seemingly gloomy class focuses on the processes that lead to death, but in addition to this, also actually applies its knowledge towards teaching students how to deal with grief.
Wellesley College: Self and world: Introduction to Metaphysics and Epistemology
Many counselors and advisors suggest that each student should at least take one philosophy course while in college. Many philosophy courses help teach students a new way of thinking and reasoning. While this course may just sound like a more complex general philosophy course, it actually focuses on issues such as the relation between mind and body and the existence of God. In addition to certain unique areas of its curriculum, the course instructors specifically encourage students to develop and express their own opinions on each subject.
University of Connecticut: Cinema and Society in Contemporary Italy
This course focuses on analyzing Italian society as shown through its media and literature throughout its history. The logic applied through this course actually seems very interesting, and every student review seemed to revere the class as one of the best they've ever had. Unfortunately I don't think they'll be showing this college movie.
Stanford University: Self Theories
College can be a very confusing time and place in a student's life. Many people have no idea what they want in a career or where they want to be in ten years. Most students don't even know who they are as a person. This course revolves around a person's belief in themselves. The course connects a person's confidence and self worth to their performance in academics, sports and even relationships. On top of all of that, it also offers different methods to change and develop these beliefs!


text:
NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: What an upgrade this 2011 Dodge Durango is. From its overly curvy, awkward predecessor to this bold, in-your face henchman of an SUV, the new Durango delivers. It's luxurious, powerful and imposing. The only drawback is that the gas mileage is not great. But remember, you're driving a Hemi-powered fortress.
The updated Durango now feels like a utility-vehicle version of the Ram. That's a good thing. The pickup is one of the best-driving in its class, and this Durango now shares that dynamic. The V8 power is exactly what one wants in a vehicle this large. The 360 horses come on smooth, and this five-speed automatic is effective and efficient. Dial up more than 5,000 rpm, and this ute blasts off. Power from launches is impressive yet civilized, and the Hemi growls and purrs depending on what it's being called upon to do.
The steering is light, similar to that of the Ram, but adds satisfying feedback into maneuvers. The chassis is all-conquering, and I annihilated a pothole on the expressway without even blanching. This trench was the kind of obstacle that would have ripped the bottom off a smaller car. The Durango was unflinching.
The styling is beefy and taut. I like the way the sheetmetal fits yet still has some attitude. Whereas the old version was almost cartoonish, this one is well-tailored and sharp. The headlights are perfect, and the wheels are simply huge.
Inside is a smart black and caramel layout, and the white-and-red-accented gauges present well. You sink into these seats, and there's a commanding road view. The Citadel package marks the summit for the Dodge Durango. I'd take one for our long-term fleet in seconds. I like this muscle ute even more than I like our long-term Infiniti QX56, which is a tank in its own right. But the Dodge is pretty much just as blinged-out, looks better to my eye and costs $24,030 less than our long-term Infiniti. That's high-protein food for thought.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: I would agree with Greg on liking this better than our long-term Infiniti QX56. Actually, I was stunned at just how good this new Durango really is. Think of this as a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a third row. I actually had two different people come up and ask me about the vehicle, what it was, etc. Both commented that it looked so good that they were surprised it was a Durango. That's a good thing, because the old Durango was, well, let's just say it didn't have anywhere near the refinement this one has.
I loaded this up with seven passengers for a trip to Michigan State University for my daughter's graduation, and a trip after to dinner. Even those in the way-back seats had nothing to complain about. I like the black and caramel two-tone treatment, and the seats are very comfortable. The Hemi underhood is strong and made no complaints as we loaded the thing up.
The Chevrolet Suburban/Tahoe is probably still the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to full-size sport-utes. But there is nothing wrong with this new Durango. It is so much better than the vehicle it replaces it probably should have had a new name. It is that good.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR--AUTOWEEK.COM BOB GRITZINGER: Add me to the chorus singing the all-new 2011 Dodge Durango's praises. I think Dodge should have just dropped the link to past vehicles and used that Citadel moniker as the vehicle's new brand name. It's that different, and good, compared with the old Durango. The old truck was barely competitive, while this one offers a ton of Hemi grunt, sharp styling, a superb interior, and top-notch ride and handling for a 5,400-pound, four-wheel-drive beast. As much as the Grand Cherokee, with which this shares its platform, is a great vehicle, the Durango's three rows and Hemi power might put it a step above the Jeep. And looking at Roger's observed fuel-economy numbers, posting nearly 20 mpg is certainly livable.
I like this truck--a lot.
2011 Dodge Durango Citadel
Base Price: $44,645
As-Tested Price: $48,530
Drivetrain: 5.7-liter V8; AWD, five-speed automatic
Output: 360 hp @ 5,150 rpm, 390 lb-ft @ 4,250 rpm
Curb Weight: 5,397 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 15/18.7 mpg
Options: 5.7-liter Hemi V8, dual rear exhaust with bright tips, two-speed on-demand transfer case, heavy-duty engine cooling and 220-amp alternator ($1,895); customer preferred package 25j including rear DVD entertainment, video entertainment system, satellite radio and TV ($1,695); inferno red crystal pearl coat exterior paint ($295)


text:
0 reviews from our community
The Glen Drive-In Theatre
983 Route 9
Queensbury, NY 12804
Queensbury, NY 12804
Is this your business? If so, login to add your events!
Read Reviews
GlensFalls.com Events
Lake George Restaurant Appreciation Weeks
Today until Saturday, Sep 26, 2020For the past 14 years the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce has offered a semi-annual Restaurant Week promotion in June and September. This year they have reimagined the event...
Lake Luzerne Annual Halloween Pugs & Pumpkins Party - Online Photo Contest
Today until Wednesday, Sep 23, 2020In an effort to continue this fun event and be safe for both pets and people, the 21st annual Halloween Pugs & Pumpkins Party moves to an online photo contest...
Paint & Sip at World Awareness Children's Museum
TodayJoin us for the return of our popular and family-friendly "Paint & Sip" series on Wednesday, September 23rd, at 1:00pm!
CANCELED: Take a Bite!
TodayPlease note, Take A Bite has been canceled.
Medicare Basics Workshop
TodayKnowledge is imperative in choosing your Medicare health plan. At this remote workshop, you will learn all about Medicare basics and all its parts, premiums and deductibles. You will learn...
"Our Earth: Keep It Clean" Workshop Series
Thursday, Sep 24, 2020In this workshop series, students will visit the museum to explore ways the air, land, and water are polluted. They'll also find ways that they can help make it cleaner...
"J.S. Wooley, Adirondack Photographer" - Exhibition at The Hyde Collection
Thursday, Sep 24, 2020 until Sunday, Sep 27, 2020J.S. Wooley (1867-1943) lived and worked in the Adirondack foothills throughout his life. From 1908 to 1923, he served as the official photographer of Silver Bay, during which time he...
Cooking International Flavors
Thursday, Sep 24, 2020Join Durga Om (Tobey Gifford), director and teacher at Lemon Tree Yoga Studio, as she shares her travel experiences and takes you on an international journey each month to learn...
Fantastic Food Truck Corral at the Washington County Fairgrounds
Friday, Sep 25, 2020Enjoy fair food at the Fairgrounds or from the comfort of your own home!
Double Feature at the Glen Drive-In
Friday, Sep 25, 2020The Glen Drive-In is open Fridays & Saturdays and shows two movies on each of its two screens every night! The Drive-In opens at 6:30pm and the movies begin at...
What's New on GlensFalls.com
Experience the Virtual Winter Raptor Fest 2020
August 18th, 2020
Like many other major events for 2020, the annual Winter Raptor Fest that takes place at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich is going virtual, and they need your help to make sure the event... Continue Reading »
Enjoy All Your Fair Favorites at the Washington County Fairgrounds' Fantastic Food Truck Corral
July 17th, 2020
Would you like to satisfy your craving for classic fair food this year? Although the 2020 Washington County Fair has been canceled, the Fair organizers have launched a new Fantastic Food Truck Corral event series.... Continue Reading »
Glens Falls Tapped as an Ideal Place to Live in the Northeast Post-COVID
July 14th, 2020
Look Magazine declared Glens Falls "Hometown USA" back in 1944. Budget Travel ranked Glens Falls one of the "Coolest Small Towns in America" in 2017. Now, Business Insider recognizes Glens Falls for the incredible city... Continue Reading »
The River Awaits! Haviland's Cove Beach to Open for Swimming on June 29
June 19th, 2020
Summer has officially kicked off in Glens Falls, and if you're looking for ways to beat the heat, you don't have to go far from home. The City of Glens Falls has announced that starting... Continue Reading »
The Salvation Army of Glens Falls to Host a Drive-Thru Food Pantry at the Warren County FairgroundsVisit The What's New Blog on GlensFalls.com
May 19th, 2020
Whether you or someone you know is feeling financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salvation Army of Glens Falls is ready to help. In conjunction with the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New... Continue Reading »


text:
Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
At its Wednesday, Nov. 7, meeting, the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston presented representatives of Special Spaces with a $200 donation.
With the help of donors, the Special Spaces organization creates customized bedroom makeovers for children in the community living with life-threatening medical conditions.
In the photo, from left to right, are Dean Beltrano, Lewiston Kiwanis president-elect; Beverly Olsen of Special Spaces; Jeff Sanderson, Lewiston Kiwanis president; and Lynn Wall of Special Spaces.